[MattMouse]

I picked up some new bunnies this weekend. They belonged to my friend Brenda for about 3 and a half years, but since she's been leaving them at home with her parents while she's at school, her parents seem to have finally put their foot down and told her she has to get someone else to take the responsibility. So I volunteered. Since we live pretty close together when we're home, she'll be over to visit them as often as she likes.

They are sibling bunnies who have lived together in the same cage their whole lives. I feel kind of bad about Brenda having to leave them with her parents, because they hardly ever let the poor things run around and mostly just left them in the cage. I'm pretty accustomed to letting rabbits have the run of the house, since my old housemate had a fairly well-trained flop-ear at our house a couple of years ago. So they've now taken over a room in my parents' basement, but it took them nearly 45 minutes to venture out the open door of the cage, and they really don't like to be touched, even just petting. I'm hoping I can win their trust and change that.

This is James:

And this is Matt:

James is very camera-shy, so I got more pictures of Matt.

There's some junk on the floor (pieces of my sister's old drumkit), but it's mostly clean. The room used to be a practice space for her high school band.

I'm pleasantly surprised to find that they're not pooping as much as my old housemate's bunny, and know they have to go back to their cage to pee on the pine shavings. The only difficult part is getting both of them back into the cage! Jamesy REALLY hates being picked up, but now that he's been allowed to roam free for a few hours, he also doesn't like getting back into the cage, even though Matt's easy enough. (Matt was also the easiest to get into the carrier when I was bringing them home!) I usually have to chase James around the room until I finally get him, squirming, back into the cage. If I leave the cage door open, Matt will go in, and I can chase James back in, but then Matt will have hopped out and they just switch places and I end up chasing Matt back in. lol

James also makes these really adorable wheeze noises and then thumps the floor with his back feet as he runs around. And he tends to leap into the air and kick and then just go nuts running in circles. Really don't think they got out much before. =/

 

[oreyo]

aww their soo cute, i ahe a dutch too. dont worry just give them some time and they'll be used to u and let u pett them etc. but on the pine shaving thats not good for rabbits but what u can do is put newspaper on top of the shaving so this way they dont eat it or smell it and u wont have to worry abt the odor. anyways congratz and keep us udated on what happens

 

[Angelnstuff]

Aww there really cute! We give our rabbit some fresh pellets after playtime to get her back in her cage.. not sure if this works for all rabbits tho. Our rabbit is quite a piggy when it comes to her pellets.

 

[luvnature]

Oh my gosh! They are sooooo cute! :lovies:

I want a bunny so badly now. Seems lately there are so many PT'ers putting up bunny pics and its making me want one so much!

 

[MattMouse]

but on the pine shaving thats not good for rabbits but what u can do is put newspaper on top of the shaving so this way they dont eat it or smell it and u wont have to worry abt the odor.

Yeah I read about that after I put the pine in. :/ The thing is just that my mom complained about the smell only a couple of hours after I got them, so I needed a quick remedy and I had a bag of pine chips left over from my old hamster, so I threw that in to cover it up. I have a package of Carefresh at my house, but the buns won't be moving from my parents' for another week since I'm on study break.

I will still change the litter so the pine is underneath the newspaper, though. I don't think they can eat much of it, since the litter is a tray that slides out from underneath the wire bottom of the cage. They don't tend to go to that side very often unless they're using the litter, because they like to cuddle on the tiles on the other side of the cage. They'll probably get a new cage when they move anyway, the one they're in now won't fit in my tiny house because it's too long. I'll get them a taller cage instead.

 

[Cazsamps]

Aww they are gorgeous bunnies! I have trouble getting my guys back into their cage too the little monkeys lol. I have to chase them around to get them back!!!

 

[kathydip]

Bunnies are so funny. When I let Penelope out to hop in the hallway (according to her our back bedroom is just not big enough for her) I have to chase her back into her room. If I accidently leave our bedroom door open it makes it even more difficult. Teddy just likes to hang outside the other bedrooms so I just have to scoop him up. I have not let Oliver and Ophelia out because I know I would have the same problem that you do. Bunnies are FAST!! Don't feel badly for Oliver and Ophelia - they have a bigger bedroom that they have the roam of as well as a 4 level cage thqat they can go in and out of.

 

[mulder]

awww bunny binkies!! as for the pine shavings....they're not totally healthy for small animals, the odor can really irritate their respiratory tract. i use aspen shavings, equally as cheap and i find absorbs odour REALLY well. better than carefresh in my opinion

 

[MattMouse]

Eh, I got rid of the pine shavings. They were just a quick fix for mom. But I took the bunnies home to my house ahead of schedule and they have Soft-Sorbent litter now. (Similar to Carefresh, made out of paper and pulp materials) I'll need a big bag of Carefresh soon, and now I know where to find it in Canada. Only thing the bag of pine shavings is being used for now is a step to land on outside the cage lol